The Mariners are set to sign right-hander Cory Abbott to a minor league contract, reports Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. The Dynamic Sports Group client will be in big league camp during spring training and compete for a roster spot. He’d be paid at an $800K rate in the majors, MLBTR has learned.
Abbott, 28, has logged big league time in each of the past three seasons, combining for 104 1/3 innings between the Cubs and Nationals. He’s struggled to a 6.02 ERA in that time while posting worse-than-average strikeout and walk rates of 20.2% and 11.4%.
A second-round pick by the Cubs back in 2017, Abbott posted lights-out numbers in the low minors and up through the Double-A level, but he’s struggled both in the big leagues and in Triple-A, where he carries a 5.45 ERA in three seasons. That said, Abbott has fanned a hefty 28.7% of his opponents at the Triple-A level and isn’t all that far removed from being a prospect of some note within the Cubs’ system; Baseball America ranked him 13th or better among Chicago farmhands each year from 2019-21, topping out at No. 8 in the system back in 2019.
The Mariners have regularly shown an ability to take journeyman arms and convert them into quality pieces of the pitching staff in recent years. Paul Sewald and Drew Steckenrider were both signed as minor league free agents before breaking out as key bullpen pieces in Seattle; Sewald in particular has emerged as a high-end big league reliever. Justin Topa was acquired in a minor swap with the Brewers. Lefties Gabe Speier and Tayler Saucedo were both waiver claims. Chris Flexen was signed to an affordable two-year deal after one year in the KBO and gave the M’s two strong seasons before falling off in 2023.
Certainly, not every dart throw made by the team will yield a turnaround along the lines those success stories, but the Mariners have somewhat quietly built up a nice track record of maximizing results from unheralded acquisitions of just this nature.
Another yawner here.
Just business as usual.
Go Mariners!
Money in the bank Fred.
Abbott’s off the board. Who’s next on the hot stove?
If the Reds hadn’t spent so much money already I would say a Castillo for Marte deal would make a ton of sense. But I don’t see them taking on that much more salary at this point.
Will throw in 5 million per year. Reducing his cost to 16 million per year but want 2 more prospects
Castillo makes 24.15 million a year. And I don’t think the Mariners paying money is their style. Salary relief is the key here.
Untrue
What is untrue?
Dipoto did say he was looking at a sexy bullpen addition
Abbot to the Friars would not have fit to the “t”.
Good one!
So far, the M’s have acquired these relievers during the past few months:
Brett de Geus
Jackson Kowar
Cole Phillips
Carlos Vargas
Tyson Miller
Cody Bolton
Cory Abbott
For every name, we can ask “Who?”, but the way Seattle finds decent relievers, I think the odds are good that one or two of these guys can prove useful in this year’s bullpen. This should make for good competition in Sprng Training. I’m still hoping they acquire someone who is proven as a closer. Last year it seemed to me like Brash and Munoz looked more like 7th-8th inning guys trying to adjust to being used in the 9th. Neither gave up too many HRs but they got into too many tough situations.
Hopefully Phillips is healthy and ready to pitch. Hasn’t played in a pro game yet but he’s still just 20 and he was a second round pick.
No need to rush Phillips, since he is only 20.
He will probably need most (all?) of this 1st year to build up strength and work on the tweaks.
Now my hope is that the M’s FO can convince the slightly broken Jordan Hicks to sign a 2 year deal here. Jordan is a 27 year old with STUFF, but is in need of a tweak or two. He could become the closer that we all hoped Munoz was going to become.
Yep plenty of tweakers in Seattle.
Munoz had a lower ERA in the 9th inning than his season ERA and was 13-16 in saves. It’s not like he was bad and he still has several years ro get better even
Phillips is not a bullpen piece
I tend to agree but we won’t really know until he starts pitching.
Basically, EVERY team in baseball, is essentially the farm system for the Dodgers and Yankees. If you develop a player, who becomes an All-Star talent, they will be the only teams capable of paying his salary demands.
What would make the team think it would be a good idea to have a guy in AAA, with a career ERA of 5.46, be promoted to MLB? Guy’s a good AA pitcher at best.
That’s why its a Minor League signing. No affect on 40 roster or MLB team. I’m all for signing anyone to a minor league that could possibly add depth to the system.
@slund24
I’m talking about his history of AAA and MLB. I just don’t understand how a team would have thought, a 5+ ERA in AAA will work in MLB. Just trying to understand the rational behind it. Just see if he sinks or floats at that level or showing him off for a possible trade?
Sometimes guys develop late. Sometimes they need to make one or two tweaks. Lots of useful relievers float up to the bigs for a while in their late 20s/early 30s.
M’s have made a lot of these signings work out great. There’s something that they identify that has really been working
The organizational pitching philosophy and training regimen was totally overhauled by Dipoto from the getgo, many innovations like this “gas camp” thing to build up arm strength. Making or refurbishing middle relievers out of nothing is something the M’s are really good at.
Now that ABBOTT has been signed,
The next signing to be announced
By the Mariners will be ………………………..
COSTELLO !!
You misspelled Castillo…
It was a reference to the old, old comedy team of Abbott and Costello, nothing to do with baseball.
Pretty stupid.
Fred, you know Dave Sims is going to use “Abbott and Castillo” if he ever gets the chance, and then he will explain what he’s talking about.
Also, didn’t Abbott and Costello have a famous baseball skit?
Maybe they did have a baseball skit. I can’t remember, and I didn’t see a lot of them anyway, even as old as I am. I’m 87.
I like Dave Sims, largely because of the intlligent and considerate way he does his job.
Who’s on first
youtube.com/watch?v=sYOUFGfK4bU
Thanks, Bookbook, now it all comes back to me.
Their most famous skit, probably.
I like Dave Sims too. It is a thing he will do.
I don’t know.
(Third base!)
That’s the most intlligent thing I’ve heard you say lately Fred,
Good to see Jim’s son make it in the majors.